A friend who was in our wedding had his house broken into today.. the worst part is that the person who broke into the house obviously chased and threw things at his very people friendly Boston Terrier "phin". He was wimpering when he got home with glass in his foot from the broken window.. this dog wouldn't have pressed this person I'm sure so why attack dog who is obviously not into fighting back? (even though I know some dog will unexpectadly fight back in situations like this.. I highly doubt this happened)

I know that this is not pitbull related, but to make it pitbull related I know that my dogs would have put up a fight and maybe lost it.....and they're not pitbull's... I know that people sue for falling through people's roofs when robbing them.. and for slipping when breaking into their houses..... what happens (from a law standpoint) if a person breaks into your house and your dog "ends the break in" or injures the person?

I hate people. They stole a bunch of stuff.. but stuff can be replaced...

Oh god, how horrible. I'd KILL anybody who did that. Take my stuff, but don't touch a hair on Inara's head. That's honestly part of the reason I crate her - should anybody break in, she won't go bounding over to say hi and won't need to be chased/harassed/injured.

Regarding your question, I would think it would vary depending on the state. Here in Ohio we have the Castle Doctrine, which allows me to defend my self, my home and my property. However, I'm not sure it would allow Inara to defend my property if I weren't there. Where's Demo? He'd probably know, at least for NY.

"Remember - every time your dog gets somewhere on a tight leash *a fairy dies and it's all your fault.* Think of the fairies." http://www.positivepetzine.com"

When my friend Rachel took care of our dogs, the one that caused the problems with getting out of the crate the first day was RUBY. She was really ticked off, and growled at Rachel when she tried to open the door. The boys? Not a problem at all - they were their normal happy selves, just thrilled that someone was opening the crate door. You'd be surprised at what a dog that "would never do that" will actually do when they are under major stress and pressure.

As for the rest, you're right, but it's the dumbest thing on the planet in my book. And since I have two dogs that would injure an intruder it's still a concern, but still stupid.

Michelle

Inside me is a thin woman trying to get out. I usually shut the bitch up with a martini.

Dear abby says you have a year to send thank you notes... and I am holding her to that after everything I've been going through this year.. yeah, I know. But sometimes life gets in the way...so mine are half out and half I need to do this month...

I'm not sure what would happen legally although I think it would be unlikely if someone was truly breaking into your home that something like that would stand up in court. I know we talked about meter readers in another thread and because they have a job to do there is a gray area in terms of the person coming onto the property and getting bit but if a person actually breaks in I'm not really sure how a lawsuit could go through like that if the person was entering a property without permission from the owner/a governing body. But I could be wrong

I'm not sure what Seth would do, he does have an instinct to protect and will growl if he hears noises outside [someone unfamiliar pulling into the driveway at night, that sort of thing] but he generally likes all people. If I were there and I were in fear then I think he may react based off of my reaction. I can get both of my dogs to go after my dad if we are wrestling but if he was alone I'm not sure.

I know LiLo would bark at the person and if they reached for her she would bite them. She hates my brother [he's a POS meth-head] and he has challenged her before and she has tried to bite him. She would react pretty negatively, she's cautious of people she doesn't know anyway.

I wonder whether a sign "dog in home"/"dog on premises" (understanding that the phrasing of said sign is pretty important, "beware of dog" can sometimes make the owner responsible or can indicate prior knowledge of poor disposition or temperment) would make it like "ride at your own risk".

Thats absolutely awful about your friend's Boston

I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day, tomorrow doesn't look good either.
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To purposely hurt a dog who obviously was not a threat, is just a sick. Not to excuse the thief, but maybe he/she was on drugs. I am actually glad all the dog got was a cut. Hopefully his emotional state will improve.

I wish that harming friendly dogs during home invasions were out of the norm but I don't think it is. I have two friends who's homes have been burglarized and in both cases their extremely friendly dogs were clearly physically assaulted. One friend said it took weeks for her dog to return to it's normal demeanor and the other has one dog who is fine after some time but the other dog is still somewhat of an emotional wreck if they have to leave the dogs alone.

Malli wrote:I wonder whether a sign "dog in home"/"dog on premises" (understanding that the phrasing of said sign is pretty important, "beware of dog" can sometimes make the owner responsible or can indicate prior knowledge of poor disposition or temperment) would make it like "ride at your own risk".

Thats absolutely awful about your friend's Boston

This is a biggie. A "Beware of Dog" sign indicates that the owner knew the dog was dangerous and it can be argued that they were negligent in not properly securing the dog. I keep "Dog on Property" signs posted, granted they have a Shepherd on them but it's all the same to me.

I wouldn't trust the judicial system to protect my dog or myself in a situation like this. Considering the kind of suits that have been won previously, I would not hold my breath counting on the burglar not being able to come after me financially. Do you remember the guy who broke into a couple's home and ended up locked n the garage for 3 days without food or water and actually won a suit against them? Seriously, WTF?!

The only dog I keep out in the house is the only dog that I do not believe would bite an intruder. He's a good deterrent cause he barks and gets in the window and looks big but once someone came inside he'd be all wiggle butts and wanting pets. The other dogs are secured in their kennels or on their chains.

If you live somewhere so ridiculously litigious that you have to legitimately worry about getting sued or arrested if and when your dog takes a bite out of some crackhead burglarizing your home...move.

Demo Dick

"My first priority will be to reinstate the assault weapons ban PERMANENTLY as soon as I take office...I intend to work with Congress on a national no carry law, 1 gun a month purchase limits, and bans on all semi-automatic guns."-Barack Obama"When in doubt, whip it out."-Nuge

DemoDick wrote:If you live somewhere so ridiculously litigious that you have to legitimately worry about getting sued or arrested if and when your dog takes a bite out of some crackhead burglarizing your home...move.

Demo Dick

Agreed. I leave my dogs loose when I'm not home. I want them to hit the window and/or door if someone walks by. I don't want anyone to ever think that coming into my home when I'm not present is an option. There are very few people that Teeny will let enter without me present to tell her it's okay, and I like it that way.

Also I fully expect my dogs to mess someone up if they even attempt to harm them. But that's just what I like in a dog. Even Wally was that way (just ask Noel ).

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." -Anatole France